NewsFlash

Happy Labor Day

Today changes to the SNAP program go into effect, with a CBO analysis forecasting 2.4 million fewer Americans, including families with children, will receive federal food benefits monthly.  https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/01/snap-benefit-cuts-americans-food-grocery-shopping.html

And

Judge issued emergency order stopping the administration from deporting hundreds of minors to Guatemala from Texas.  Some were already boarded, having been woken up in the middle of the night and loaded on buses that took them to the waiting planes. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/judge-temporarily-blocks-trump-administrations-deportation-flights-for-guatemalan-children [News broadcast showed some of the kids boarding a plane -  in leg irons/chains. One plane had already departed, had to turn around and land. What is this doing to those poor kids?!]

And

Appeals court blocks Trump administration from ending legal protections for 600,000 Venezuelans - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/appeals-court-blocks-trump-administration-from-ending-legal-protections-for-600000-venezuelans

And

Epstein survivors are planning a group press conference on Sept. 3. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/31/jeffrey-epstein-khanna-massie-00538394   [So Trump will either invade Chicago with National Guard & ICE  or  kick something off with all the military in the Caribbean, or some other attempted distraction? I'll put a wager on the 3rd, but they could go tomorrow].

And

Amid a Wave of Mass Shootings, Florida Cracks Down on Chalk - Cops arrest man for leaving chalky footprints in crosswalk.- https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/08/orlando-florida-pulse-crosswalk-chalk-desantis-arrest/

And

Nine former directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are speaking out, saying Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is endangering the health of Americans.  Seven former directors and two former acting directors -- whose tenures stretch back to the administration of former President Jimmy Carter -- published an op-ed in The New York Times on Monday, just days after the ousting of the CDC's new director Dr. Susan Monarez.  - https://abcnews.go.com/Health/former-cdc-directors-rfk-jr-endangering-americans-health/story?id=125152952

And

Workers over Billionaires protest marches held nationwide, with significant turnout. [Too many to post here.]


And, to lighten up:

The conventional wisdom is that pizza orders near the Pentagon shoot way up when "things" are happening or about to happen. - https://www.pizzint.watch/  [It's harmless at worst.]   And then there's this -  https://polymarket.com/event/what-will-trump-say-during-events-with-polish-president-on-september-3?tid=1756795308432 from https://polymarket.com/search?_q=geopolitics

So, this has been making the rounds:

"U.S. President Donald J. Trump is scheduled to make a currently unknown announcement from the Oval Office on Tuesday at 2:00pm EDT."

And

National Guard Deployment in LA by Trump ruled illegal.  The federal judge found that the deployment exceeded legal limits that generally prohibit the use of the military for domestic law enforcement.  https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-judge-blocks-trump-administrations-use-troops-la-2025-09-02/

CHICAGO, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters packed the streets near downtown Chicago on Monday, singing, chanting and waving signs protesting U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to flood the city with National Guard troops and federal immigration agents. - https://www.reuters.com/world/us/chicago-thousands-protest-against-threat-ice-national-guard-deployment-2025-09-01/ [Presumably now he won't try Chicago, since the order would be illegal? Or will he, given he still has the option to take it to the Supreme Court and could, knowing his people, say it's not decided yet so he can do what he wants?  Burning question here - will the Illinois National Guard follow an order similar to one that a federal appeals judge ruled as illegal in California? They are not required, and in fact have a duty, to refuse immoral or illegal orders.]

EDIT:  Uh oh. https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lxuwlihtf22j and

Gov. Pritzker's press conference - https://www.wifr.com/2025/09/02/pritzker-address-reports-federal-law-enforcement-action-chicago/




And

In case you missed this post by Trump on X a few days ago, here's the image he posted:



To which Gov. Gavin Newsom (California) responded:

Congress returns from recess as government shutdown deadline looms - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/congress-returns-recess-government-shutdown-deadline-looms-epstein/story?id=125159018

[Oy. Here we go again.]  If you have to do business with a US government office, you might want to plan on doing it before Oct 1. If you're waiting for a response from a government office and haven't gotten it by Sept. 30, plan on waiting.

One final for the day, and then I'm taking time off again.
This is just so painful.




AND

Military communications: if it starts "XT" it's more-or-less routine. Otherwise... ew. https://www.youtube.com/@neetintel/live

One final for the day, and then I'm taking time off again.
This is just so painful.

Enjoy your time off. 

Resting later.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) left early from a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee meeting with victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday, appearing visibly upset when she emerged from the committee room. - https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/mace-leaves-meeting-epstein-victims-221623635.html

Epstein survivors held a news conference at the Capitol Steps today.  Amazing timing, there was an extremely loud military flyover as they were trying to talk. - https://www.rawstory.com/anouska-de-georgiou-flyover/   

Trump calls Epstein debacle a "Democratic hoax". -  https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/03/politics/congress-epstein-files-victims-trump-hoax

Trump threatens members of his party who are trying to have the Epstein files released. Some material was released in the last day or two, but it's almost entirely material that was previously released.  https://newrepublic.com/post/199916/trump-white-house-petition-release-epstein-files



‘No leniency, no deals, no special treatment’ says late Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre’s brother - https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/jeffrey-epstein-victims-speak-house-134507963.html

RELEASE THE COMPLETE, UNREDACTED EPSTEIN FILES.







EDIT 4 Sept -







If I'm not back before then, October 18th is the next "NO KINGS DAY".

Thousands march in DC against Trump & ICE - https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/thousands-protest-trumps-national-guard-deployment-in-we-are-all-dc-march/3984956/

Church bells ringing in support of DC marchers [sound on] - https://bsky.app/profile/lorennacleary.bsky.social/post/3ly763xs76224

Huge crowd - https://bsky.app/profile/lorennacleary.bsky.social/post/3ly76ywfmuk24

EDIT:   Watched a few network evening news shows (CBS, ABC, etc.). ABC covered the march, plus the marches in Chicago where people appear to be getting quite upset. See also statement by Gov. Pritzger of IL - https://bsky.app/profile/still4dems.bsky.social/post/3ly6wkb3kds2w  or  https://x.com/GovPritzker/status/1964488649287840082



Chicago march -

https://abc7chicago.com/post/ice-chicago-immigration-raids-could-ramp-saturday-agents-set-naval-station-great-lakes-north-il/17755715/

https://apnews.com/video/chicago-residents-march-in-defiance-of-trump-threats-0864dc977d7b4adbb691559cb5991287




CBS did not air news of either march, which is unsurprising as the parent company agreed to have a White House censor on staff to vet any news stories being aired as part of a settlement. CBS is no longer a reliable indicator as to reporting what is going on in this country, it appears.

Minimal coverage on major networks, and none on CBS that I saw, about Portland:  ‘Wipe them out’: Trump weighs sending feds to quell Portland protests - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/northwest/wipe-them-out-trump-weighs-sending-feds-to-quell-portland-protests/  [Apparently also the protesters set up a mock guillotine outside the ICE offices in Portland this week. I'd say that was "message sent".]



And then there is:  Trump threats to Chicago - https://apnews.com/article/trump-chicago-immigration-war-department-pritzker-1f6b2a08ed8aab04f0caf02ef506aafa





And, to further piss people off:

Trump seeking ways to take over 9/11 memorial in NYC -  https://apnews.com/article/911-museum-trump-federal-takeover-new-york-6b335a4b9dab79ef12e19282d631a28a


And, while they haven't done it yet:

U.S. plans to deport Kilmar Ábrego García to Eswatini - https://apnews.com/article/kilmar-abrego-garcia-uganda-eswatini-el-salvador-249a5c86427d418eb2f527483bb515c9

Corollary, that they have done: CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Five men deported by the United States to Eswatini in July have been held in a maximum-security prison in the African nation for seven weeks without charge or explanation and with no access to legal counsel, their lawyers said Tuesday. One "had been “inexplicably and illegally” sent to Eswatini when his home country was willing to accept him back."  https://apnews.com/article/immigrants-deportees-trump-eswatini-prison-3f65f8c2734cce31cb3b04e07cd1257f    [See also deportations to Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan.]



And, to close - am back on my "vacation" now unless anything major pops -

Donald Trump thinks not clapping for him is ‘treasonous’  - https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/05/politics/trump-speech-treason


RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES

And, lest I forget this one -

The US military murdered 11 civilians on the high seas this week. No charges, apprehension, trial, sentencing. Not even in a kangaroo court. The military was not under attack by these people at the time. In my book, that appears to be murder, premeditated. Or a War Crime.

Senator Rand Paul (R), comment follows. (He's not one of my favorite people on the planet, but he's nailed this.) The VP, who apparently ordered this attack, should be removed from office and be tried for the crime.



And